The invention relates to exercise equipment protective coverings. More particularly, the invention relates to items for selectively covering exercise equipment prior to and during use, to prevent contact by the user with bodily fluids from others which may be present on the surfaces of the exercise equipment.
In crowded gyms, one user might begin to use a piece of exercise equipment a mere few minutes or even seconds after a previous user completed use thereof. With such a short time interval between users, a great possibility exists for disease transmission. A large variety of pathogens are present within bodily fluids. Since exercise often involves the secretion of sweat, expectoration of respiratory fluids through the mouth, and causes mucous to loosen and run from nasal passages, this mix of bodily fluids often ends up on the exercise equipment and can carry and transmit pathogens to an unsuspecting subsequent user.
In addition to the real possibility of disease transmission, most people simply find it unpleasant to sit, lay, or grasp exercise equipment which is coated in sweat from another person. For these reasons, many gyms at least attempt to require that each person wipe down the equipment after they user it.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.